Two LPA-designed projects – the Salinas Police Service Headquarters and the Environmental Nature Center Preschool – were named 2020 Regional Best Project winners last week by Engineering News Record (ENR) California. The honored projects, which were selected by a panel of experts from the construction industry, are now eligible for the publication’s Project of the Year, which will be named in October.
Engineering News Record California Honors Two LPA Projects
“Both the Salinas PD and the ENC Preschool are great examples of what integrated services and informed design can achieve,” says Erik Ring, LPA Director of Engineering. “Both projects demonstrate LPA’s commitment to sustainability and high performing buildings.”
The Salinas Police Service Headquarters, developed in public-private partnership with Griffin Structures and Swinerton, was honored in the Government/Public Building category. The modern facility replaces an existing 60-year-old building with two structures – one for administration staff, investigators, support staff and first-responder operations and a second building dedicated to nonessential functions, including state-of-the-art evidence storage areas, a forensic laboratory, SWAT training and ready rooms, and a customizable firearms proficiency and training facility.
The first building is engineered to meet California’s Essential Services Buildings Seismic Safety Act, providing the resiliency necessary for the essential 24/7 public safety operation. Shifting the nonessential functions into a separate building helped reduce construction costs and create more opportunities to develop specialized training and investigation spaces. The primary building was designed with concrete tilt-up panels, which also helped reduce construction time and expense.
The Environmental Nature Center Preschool was honored in the Green-Best Projects category. Earlier this year, the American Institute of Architects recognized the original Environmental Nature Center and the Preschool, which opened last year, with a COTE Top Ten Plus award recipient, the industry’s highest honor for sustainable design. The LEED Platinum, net-zero Preschool focuses on nature-based education for children ages 2 ½ to 5.
